I realize BeerTools.com has loads of recipes. I haven't used any because it seems tedious to search for one and then never really know if it will truly be a really good recipe rather than just something thrown together by an average homebrewer -- like what I do. I have considered getting one or more books, and have some interest in the 'cloning' books, but have read that they are actually not very accurate, and that they very often use grain bills, hops, and mash schedules that are at odds with what is known (or commonly believed) to be the actual ingredients/schedule for the target brews. I am therefore wondering about 'Designing Great Beers'. Is anyone here familiar with that book, and would it be a good way to supplement BTP software? I know the easy answer is no doubt "Yes", but in what way? What I'm looking for is something along the lines that will tell me that for "this" beer or beer-style, I should use "this" type of hops, and "that" yeast, etc. Any info that will help be better appreciate "why" certain ingredients are used for a particular style would be great, too. If there are any other book recommendations, that will be appreciated, too.

I have the first cloning book and I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone that's graduated to making their own recipes. A lot of the recipes seem like they're made with substantial guesswork, appropriate malts and hops to fit the style, and malt selections designed to hit color, more than anything else. For someone that has no clue how to generate a recipe and wants to try to make some beers like those they already know they like, it has it's place.

Designing Great Beers is starting to get a bit dated, but it's great for learning what ingredients can make a recipe that will fit within a style. I use it as a launching pad for those times when I think I'd like to make, say, a Maibock, but don't know where to start. It's not a recipe book, but a guide to what ingredients have been used in award winning beers of each style. This seems to be what you're looking for. You'll get information like "60% of winning beers in style X use 10-15% Y malt and A, B, or C hops for bittering and aroma additions only."

I haven't seem Jamil Z and J Palmer's new Style-Specific recipe book, but Jamil's recipes are generally good examples of a specific style (see Beerdujour.com). I often use his recipes as a starting point for my first attempt at a new style.

Thanks, slothrob. That is a big help, and I especially appreciate the link to Jamil's recipes. SUPER!!! I was already pretty much leaning towards the "Designing Great Beers", so if there is no books more recently published along those lines, then I guess that's what I'll get.